Psalm 26:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

NIV: Do not take away my soul along with sinners, my life with those who are bloodthirsty,

NASB: Do not take my soul away along with sinners, Nor my life with men of bloodshed,

CSB: Do not destroy me along with sinners, or my life along with men of bloodshed

NLT: Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners. Don’t condemn me along with murderers.

KJV: Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:

NKJV: Do not gather my soul with sinners, Nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

In this psalm, David is declaring his sincere devotion to God. As part of that, he lived with an intentional separation from those who were openly wicked (Psalm 26:4–5). Instead, he took joy in worshipping the Lord and spending time in praise and celebration (Psalm 26:6–8). A theme of this psalm is David's plea for vindication (Psalm 26:1)—to be cleared of wrongdoing and spared from consequences that he has not earned.

Statements such as this echo the wisdom of Proverbs 13:20. Those who participate in evil can expect negative earthly consequences. Those who associate with evil people risk being caught up in those results. Even so, suffering in this life is a lesser concern, compared to eternity.

David understood that hypocrites—sinners and bloodthirsty men—mingled with sincere worshipers. He also understood the Lord would sweep them away in judgment. Jesus spoke about the mingling of the lost with the saved. He referred to wheat versus weeds and sheep versus goats (Matthew 13:24–30; 25:31–46). Ultimately, the "weeds" and "goats" will perish.

Believers must be vigilant so they will not be like hypocrites. First Corinthians 10:12 cautions: "Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." Although it may be difficult at times to distinguish between believers and unbelievers, the Lord knows who belongs to Him and who doesn't. Second Timothy 2:19 carries this assurance and provides a command: "But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.'"

Psalm 26:4–12 is practical evidence of the commitment David expressed in this psalm's introduction. While imperfect, David's life demonstrated consistent emphasis on godliness and obedience to the Lord. David draws a contrast between him and the evildoers that corrupted the worship of God (Psalm 26:5). David loves God's house and thanks the Lord for His miracles. David notes that because he does not associate with those who are evil, he does not expect to be caught up in their judgment.

Some of David's psalms connect directly to events recorded in Scripture. Psalm 26, however, does not seem to match any biblical events in David's life. This might have been David's response to a specific challenge, or a general plea for God to preserve him from deceptive attacks. In this psalm, David reaffirms his lifestyle of godliness and integrity. He is confident that he will not be judged with the wicked; the psalm offers evidence that he honors the Lord.

This Davidic psalm affirms David's integrity and his deliberate separation from evildoers. It also reveals his love for the tabernacle on Mount Zion. In several ways Psalms 26 resembles Psalm 25, though this song does not include a request for forgiveness (Psalm 25:18). David declares his sincere pursuit of the Lord, including attention to genuine worship. He does not participate with evildoers—likely meaningfalse worship —and he recognizes that the Lord will sweep away the souls of sinners.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.